Be patient the cold will end and Spring will come

This time of year is difficult for all of us, especially if you live in the Northern States where the cold seems to never end and I am sure in Atlanta and the Southern States that never see the white stuff! This has been a long and cold Winter and for some of our Warm weather Aupairs this is particularly difficult. So we as host parents need to be aware of our aupairs moods and understand that the weather may play a big role in their sadness, homesickness or otherwise moodiness. Often aupairs are not allowed to drive when it is snowing or icy outside (we should not be out either) so they may be feeling trapped in the house not being able to see their friends, or maybe the kids have had snow days that never seem to end. Be understanding of your aupair and talk with her/him about how they are feeling is very important. It will be warm again and then in Mid August when it is 100 F outside you will long for these cool days.

An extra set of hands, a friend, a sister and helper

I just wanted to talk about the great benefits of hosting an aupair. So many people do not know about this great experience as an option for child care. It has enriched our family in so many ways.

Our first aupair G from Denmark was wonderful, she was our first so needless to say we were a little green and did not know the first thing about hosting a young person. But she taught us and stuck with us and turned out to be great. She put a lot of miles on our car and made us all eat junk food because that is what she liked and we wanted to please her but it was worth it because she was so sweet and good with our daughter. Then came number 2, O from Norway which unfortunately was not a good fit, she was very nice but she was better suited for older kids so after taking her on vacation with us to Costa Rica she decided to rematch, and she went on to a successful year in America. We then scrambled as everyone does when they are in rematch but we were lucky to find an in country aupair from Estonia and she was great and we had a good rest of the year with her. Then we started our Brazilian streak, we had four girls in a row from Brazil. The first one L was a wonderful teacher to my then three year old. They did art projects, worked on the alphabet, took trips to the park and she was a great person to be around. Then came I, she was from the same area as the first one and also wonderful. She continued teaching my then four year old as if she was in pre school and she also kept my house clean which freaked me out at first, I told my husband she is moving my dirt around...I don't like it. But then I got used to it and my house has never been as clean and tidy again. When she left I realized how much she did around here. Then we had another daughter and our third Brazilian came. Her main job was to take care of the new baby while the older one was now in Kindergarten. We had a great year with her. Then came M and she stayed with us for two years. She was loving and sweet and loved her job taking care of a one year old. They both took 2-3 hour naps together! Nice day on the job. The girls loved her and her easy going nature. So now we have had Brazilians for five years we decided let's learn about another place for a change and we went with a German Aupair. I thought Germans were good drivers and now we needed more of a driver to take the kids places, well it took this aupair three tries on the driving test to pass! But in the end she was a great driver, fun person to talk with, great with the girls and we had a wonderful year together. Now we are at our last aupair or so we think, with both girls in school in the Fall it is more of a luxury than a necessity but one we will very much miss. We decided to end our aupair experience with a Brazilian and again they did not disappoint. She is just amazing and handles everything we throw at her with grace and kindness. She is now teaching my five year old so she is prepared for Kindergarten in the Fall and she is doing a great job. So as you can see we have had ten great years of aupairs and now have extended family all over the world, these girls may no longer live with us but they will forever live in our hearts and be a part of our family. I hope more people get to experience what we have had. It is wonderful.

March is Aupair Care Saftey Awareness Month

I wanted to get a head start on our safety awareness for next month, March. Our monthly meeting will focus on safety. We will meet at the Olathe Police department and get an overview of the 9-1-1 call center as well as a tour of the police station and we will finish up with a refresher course in CPR. I am very excited about this meeting. One of our former host families are both police officers and they are helping us get this tour set up. It will be a great meeting and one every aupair should not miss!

SAFETY : accidents are the #1 cause of death in children

•  Watch all play near streets: children should not cross the street alone until 8 years of age
•  Helmets enforce their use every time all the time when riding bikes, roller blades, skateboards
•  Teach children water safety and supervise at all times. Swimmers can still drown
•  Kids are very curious. Keep potential posions, matches, sharp objects and firearms locked up and out of reach.
• POISON CONTROL: (800) 332-6633
•  Seat belts are the LAW. Children ride in the backseat is a lap shoulder belt until they are 80 Ibs and 8 years old.
•  NEVER leave children unattended in the car or the house.
•  Teach stranger safety and good touch/bad touch

 ENJOY LIFE AND BE SAFE

The Role of your Area Director

What exactly does the area director do for the family and aupair. Sometimes there is some confusion as to our role. The Area Director is your link to the main office, we can be your confident and sounding board. We are here to assist you but we are also human and not a 24/7service.

THINGS WE DO:

·        We conduct an in-home interview when you apply to the program to go over the program details and check the spare room making sure the aupair room is equal to others in the home.

·         We call each host family and au pair within 48 hours of an au pair’s arrival into the home to welcome all and make sure everyone is safe and settled.

·        We conduct an Orientation Meeting within 2 weeks of your au pair’s arrival into the home to go over things like schedule, list of duties, discipline, house rules, education, driving, travel,and answer any questions you may have.

·         We call each host family and each au pair every month to check in and see how things are going and answer questions. Both host families and au pairs should make sure to call their Area Director back. It is important to keep an open dialog with the area director that way when problems arise we can help you.

·         We make ourselves available via phone and email during normal business hours to answer questions as they arise.

·         We conduct an in-home mediation in the event issues are not being resolved.

·         Email a monthly newsletter to host families and au pairs with pertinent announcements, tips and most importantly, details of the monthly au pair meeting event.

·         Organize and attend a monthly au pair meeting, to which au pairs are required to attend.

·         Organize and attend an annual Family Day event for all au pairs and host families to which you are required to attend.

THINGS WE DON'T DO:

·         Match you with your au pair. While Area Directors are available to offer general advice on interview tips etc, specific matching help should be addressed by your Matching Expert in the San Francisco head office.

·         Pick up your au pair from the airport. It is your job to welcome your au pair at your local airport.

*     For out-of-hours emergencies, you should call the emergency hotline number: 415-434-8788.

We want to ensure your year with an aupair is the best that it can be. We are here for you through the good times and the bad. The area director is your friend.

Aupair Care announces "New Safety Care" Training program

San Francisco, Calif. – Jan 10, 2012 – Au Pair Care, the leading au pair agency that provides affordable live-in child care services, today announced the launch of its new Safety Care™ training program, an enhancement that provides all au pairs with CPR and First Aid certification training by the American Heart Association and focuses on a rigorous curriculum dedicated to providing au pairs with practical safety skills. The Safety Care program takes place at the Au Pair Academy, a four-day mandatory orientation and training that all Au Pair Care au pairs undergo upon arrival in the United States. The program provides au pairs with enhanced safety training in the categories of driving safety and household safety, in addition to ongoing child care safety training.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 20 million U.S. children and adolescents suffer preventable injuries annually. A recent survey conducted by Au Pair Care also found that child safety is the number one concern for its American host families.
“The Safety Care program was created as a direct result of feedback from Au Pair Care’s host families, regarding what is most important to them,” said Heidi Woehl, vice president of Au Pair Care. “Child safety has always been a priority for Au Pair Care, and our new safety training enhancements and ongoing training initiatives will further educate and train our au pairs to be better and safer child care providers.”
As a member of the National Safety Council, Au Pair Care’s Safety Care curriculum incorporates best practices from the council regarding child and household safety. It familiarizes au pairs with American safety rules and regulations, as well as the cultural expectations of American host families. Through a variety of expert instruction, online training and interactive role-play, Au Pair Care au pairs will learn first-hand how to handle common safety issues and practice injury prevention techniques.
Key features of Au Pair Care’s Safety Care training program include:

• Child Safety: CPR and First Aid certification training by the American Heart Association for all au pairs, making Au Pair Care one of the only au pair agencies to offer this training. Au pairs will also receive ongoing training throughout the year with monthly safety tips as well as practical child care safety advice.
• Driving Safety: An online interactive driving course utilizing best practices from the Department of Motor Vehicles and the National Safety Council on how to follow U.S. driving laws and keep children safe while behind the wheel.  Au pairs are also expected to hold a current international driver’s license.
• Household Safety:  Educating au pairs on basic household safety practices and emergency preparedness, including choking hazards, water safety, and what to do in case of a fire. The training offers au pairs the chance to participate in interactive scenarios to prepare for real life situations.

“As parents, our children’s safety is our number one concern,” said Jenni Frank, an Au Pair Care host mom.  “Knowing that my au pair has gone through extra safety training and CPR certification with Au Pair Care helps reassure me that my kids will be safe.”
Au Pair Care matches American families with au pairs and offers two main program options to fit each family’s specific needs. The Standard One-Year Program provides dedicated child care and cultural exchange for one year. Au pairs provide up to 45 hours of child care per week chosen by the host family, not to exceed 10 hours per day. For families who are expecting or have a child under 12 months old, Au Pair Care offers the Infant Specialized Program, a longer training program focusing on infant sign language, baby massage techniques, games to stimulate infant mental development, and American parenting techniques. In addition, host families and au pairs who want to extend the au pair’s stay use the Extension Program, which provides up to two years of continuing child care. Families can extend with their au pair for an additional six, nine or 12 months.

What do Police officers, ER doctors and Artists have in common?

            They all need flexible, reliable childcare. Aupair Care provides live in childcare for Kansas City families. Hosting an aupair is an enriching experience for your children and your family. An aupair is a foreign person between the ages of 18-27 that comes to live with you for one year and in exchange for room and board and a weekly stipend they care for your children up to 45 hours per week. The schedule is flexible so you set the hours. No more driving to three different schools and day care centers, no more panic mornings trying to figure out what to do about child care when one child gets sick. The aupair lives with you and is an extra set of hands to help.

            As the area director for Aupair Care in Kansas City and also a host mom I know first hand the value of hosting an aupair. I am also a photographer and my work takes me on the road a few weeks a year, my husband works in sales and is on the road a lot. We have no family in town so it seemed like a natural choice to choose live in childcare from Aupair Care when our first daughter was born 9 years ago. Since then we have had nine aupairs from five different countries and they are all still very much a part of our family. My daughters have “big” sisters all over the world.

            Currently there are 2o families with Aupair Care in the Kansas City area. The families come from many different professions, but what they all have in common is a need for flexible, affordable and reliable childcare. The cost remains the same if you have one child or 6 children. When you break down the cost per week it is only about $340 per week. The cultural exchange aspect is also wonderful, maybe your child attends the French emersion school and you want them to learn more French on their free time, hire a French Aupair. You have always been interested in the Eastern Culture, hire an aupair from Thailand and learn more about their culture, maybe you have some very active boys, hire a male aupair, yes there are male aupairs and they are becoming very popular.

            On Dec 11, 2011 the local Kansas City Aupairs with Aupair Care will team up with Harper’s quilt shop in Overland Parkand sew pillow cases which we will donate to Operation Breakthrough.

            Hosting an aupair is not only great for its great value in child care but also in the great enrichment and life long memories it brings to the family. I can say from a personal experience I have gained so much from hosting an aupair and so have my children.

Ten Questions I Wish I Asked my Child Care Provider

Ten Questions I Wish I Asked my Child Care Provider

Interviewing potential child care providers can be a daunting task. AuPairCare, an au pair matching agency, interviews thousands of international au pair applicants each year to assure they represent only the highest quality child care providers. Regardless of what type of child care provider you are seeking, AuPairCare recommends you consider the following questions, which go beyond basic child care experience, when interviewing applicants who will be taking care of your children.

1.     Are you trained in either CPR or First Aid?

2.     What is your discipline philosophy?

3.     Do you have a high school diploma and plans to continue your education?

4.     Do you have a valid driver’s license, and how much driving experience do you have?

5.     Can you offer flexible child care hours, including nights and weekends?

6.     Do you have any other obligations such as a part time job or children of your own that might impact your availability?

7.     Tell me what you love most about taking care of children? What is the hardest part?

8.     What is your favorite food? What type of meals do you prepare for kids?

9.     Do you have your own health insurance?

10.  Why should we let you care for our children?

“Parents need to have a complete picture of their child care provider’s experience, child care philosophy and personality before hiring,” said Heidi Woehl, vice president of AuPairCare. “It’s important that you are 100% confident in your child care provider’s ability and that your child enjoys spending time with your provider.  At AuPairCare we screen each au pair on a number of factors – including educational background, medical and psychological stability, criminal record, and child care references before accepting them into our program. Au pairs also receive accident and travel insurance, training in CPR and First Aid, and constant support by local staff. Most of all, we make sure each au pair has a sincere interest in caring for children.”

Aupair care promotion for June

Promotion Code: SUMMER$59

Offer: $59 application

Dates: June 3 through June 30, 2011

Click here to see the JUNE PROMO email!

Tell your friends and family. For every new family you as a host family or aupair sign up, you will receive  $400

The role of the Area Director

What exactly does the area director do? Aupair Care has 200 + area directors around the country and our job is to be there for the host families and au pairs. I think the area director is a great resource for families and aupairs and I believe Aupair Care has some of the best area directors in the business hence the A+ rating the company has from the Better Business Bureau. I love my job, I get to meet interesting host families that live all across the city, from Gardner, to Leavenworth to Parkville. I cover the whole Metro. I enjoy getting out of my comfort zone of my Mid Town Urban life. I also very much enjoy all the au pairs, they come from all over the world. It is fascinating to meet other cultures and hear other languages. It can be tricky sometimes when doing a mediation with a family and aupair because there are cultural differences, but there in lies the challenge that I enjoy, especially when everything works out. It comes down to communication. We all need to communicate. If host family and au pair have trouble communicating then contact your area director. We are the neutral ones and we are here to help you. That is what I find is a huge benefit of having an aupair over a local nanny, there is support from a third party. The Area Director is in it with you, at least that is how I see it.

How to find the great Au Pair

   I am currently searching for my ninth Au pair. You would think after having done the process so many times you get better at it and it becomes easy. I am always overwhelmed at the process. But I have developed a system that seems to work pretty well for me, 7 out of 8  of my au pairs have been great! I start the process by looking at pictures, if the profile photo appeals to me I save it in my favorites. I skim what they have to say but really the photo is what determines whether you end up in my favorite box or not. After looking through photos for a few days going back over them many times i determine who to interview. I read through the essay and get a feel for the persons family life and their enthusiasm for kids. With my current Aupair I only interviewed her and no one else. I was sold on her photos and our first Skype conversation. You can tell a lot by talking via Skype.

    I remember when I started with the aupair care service the process was not on the internet, you recieved three profiles by fed ex , that the office in San Francisco picked for you. You would read through terrible hand writing and horrible second generation copied photos. If you did not like what they sent you would have to wait another week to get the next batch. Thinking back on it I can't believe how easy it has become now. The fact that you can view over 100 profiles and narrow down at your own will who you like and save them so you remember who you liked  is amazing!

   So back to my current search, I have used my same process of photo elimination and only one person stood out. We are in the process of interviewing and she seems like a winner. Let's see if the photo process worked this time too. Stay tuned.

Our wonderful Au Pair Sabrina one of the best!